Copyright is a set of rights provided by laws in the United States Code Title 17 that give authors of "original works" protection over the reproductions of their works. These works can be literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, audiovisual, software, or specific other works.
A copyright owner gets to control who can:
All this is outlined in the U.S. Copyright Code, 17 U.S.C. § 106
Subject to exceptions, the majority outline in this guide (including Fair Use & The TEACH Act), if a person exercises any of these rights in another's work without the author's permission, the person may be liable for copyright infringement.
Guide based upon Boston College Libraries Copyright and Scholarship Guide
